Sundance 2025 Review: Sally – “A remarkable woman who risked almost everything to realize her dream of becoming an astronaut.”

Sally Ride appears in SALLY by Cristina Costantini, an official selection of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by NASA.
In 1983 Sally Ride became the first American woman to be in outer space. But, it was a long road to get there. In Cristina Costantini‘s documentary, simply titled Sally, we learn about this remarkable woman who risked almost everything to realize her dream of becoming an astronaut. We also learn that exposure to her personal life was the one risk she wasn’t willing to take.
Upon her death in 2012 at age 61, from pancreatic cancer, it was revealed that her life partner of 27 years was Tam O’Shaughnessy. A professional tennis player who went on to play in what is now known as the U.S. Open, O’Shaughnessy actually met Sally Ride when they were kids at tennis camp. She remembers Ride as a quiet girl, standing in line on her tiptoes, but with a drive to win. While the pair’s relationship wouldn’t become romantic for many years, that tenacity Sally showed, even at a young age would end up taking her places.
In 1977, while getting her PhD at Stanford in astrophysics, Sally Ride saw an ad in the Stanford paper. NASA had finally decided to open up applications for women and minorities. In 1978, she found out she got the job, one of just 35 out of 8,000 applicants to be successful. One out of six women.
It’s here where Sally the film, and the astronaut, really hit their stride. Costantini doesn’t hide the fact that Ride was perhaps not the easiest to get along with. She would do whatever it takes to make it up in that rocket. The training was rigorous, and the selection process even more so. One interviewee even suggests she may have sabotaged her to get ahead. The women in the program tried to blend in, downplaying their femininity in this male-driven culture, but still had to stand out. Ride took pride in all her accomplishments and stood her ground. When one interviewer called her Miss Ride, she corrected that they could call her Doctor Ride or Sally, they could decide which.
But while Sally was awarded the Alfred P. Sloan winner at Sundance (given to the feature film that focuses on science or technology as a theme) the hardships and discrimination Ride faced within the space program, and in fact the scientific world in which she thrived, eventually takes a back seat. O’Shaughnessy, also a producer here, makes sure that her ample time on screen is used to talk about their relationship which was hidden from people for almost three decades.
This too was an important part of Ride’s life, and the discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community in those times was horrific. Just ask Billie Jean King, who lost everything when she was outed at the top of her tennis game (she is also interviewed in this film). Undoubtedly, O’Shaughnessy sacrificed much for many years, but at times she seems relieved that now she can finally get recognition for the time she let Ride take precedence. While it’s likely that O’Shaughnessy is the person who knew Ride best, she, as well as Ride’s ex-husband and fellow astronaut Steve Hawley, talk as if they can presume to know exactly what Ride was thinking through all of this. It seems like a lot of speculation about someone who was described, even by her family, as very private; raised by parents who were progressive but not affectionate nor emotional.
When Sally is not focused on her personal life, there is enough interview footage of Ride to let her speak for herself, and it is in those moments that we get to truly see how incredible this woman was. Her achievements in the space program and beyond make her mark on the world historically relevant. She became a role model for many young girls growing up in the 80’s, and even later, once she and O’Shaughnessy started a program that encouraged girls in STEM. She remains an inspiration, as women continue to break through in areas of science typically dominated by men. I’m sure she’d be pleased to see how much women have achieved, even as there is still a long way to go for equality. As Ride herself said, ‘Too bad this is such a big deal.” Too bad indeed.
Sally premiered January 28, 2025 at the Sundance Film Festival. It still has a couple screenings left and for U.S audiences, it is available through February 3rd on their streaming platform. For more information head to Sundance.org